Recipes and cooking

Staff: Mentor

I like to cook, which is good thing because my wife doesn't, and it is probably one of the reasons my wife married me. I used to help my mom and her mom when they were cooking, and that's probably where I get my interest in cooking.

Anyway, I am always looking for interesting and nutritious foods, that taste great. I just heard about these recipes today.

A puree of vegetables makes a light and satisfying sauce for fresh fish, and is much healthier than some of the old fashioned sauces based on butter. Just because this is easy and simple to make does not mean it isn't delicious. While it can be made without chicken stock, the stock adds a lot of flavor. The tiny amount of cream can also be eliminated, though that too makes the sauce smoother and a more appealing color.

Michael Chesloff, who writes that he has been "cooking and researching Chinese food for over thirty years," explains the proper way to "build" the sauce:

"The inclusion of hoisin as the primary component in a sauce is usually done by a method called gong bao. This means the hoisin is 'exploded' in hot oil rather than stirred into the other ingredients." Michael recommends removing the chicken and red pepper from the wok after the two minutes of stir-frying. Then add a little pool of oil (about a tablespoon) to the wok, let the oil eat up, and finally drop the sauce into it. The sauce really does "explode." After it has thickened a little (about 30 seconds), return the chicken and red pepper to the wok, and continue with the recipe. the gong bao method really is an improvement. Michael also points out that a proper Chinese chef would cut the red pepper into chunks about the same size and shape as the chicken pieces (rather than into strips, as I do). "A basic principle of Chinese cooking," he writes, "especially in stir-frying, is that the ingredients be cut to a similar size and shape." Michael also advises that the Chinese would deep-fry the cashews rather than dry-frying them.

Put the ginger and 1/4 c. water into a blender or processor. Blend until you have a paste.

Put the oil in a wide, heavy, preferably nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in as many chicken pieces as pan will hold in a single layer, and brown on both sides. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Brown all the chicken pieces this way.

Add the garlic to the hot oil. As soon as the pieces turn a medium-brown color, turn heat to medium and pour in the ginger paste. Stir-fry it for a minute. Now add the fresh coriander, jalapeno, cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook for a minute.

Put in all the chicken pieces as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl. Add 2/3 c. water and the lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.

Turn the chicken pieces over. Cover again and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. If the sauce is too thin, uncover the pan and boil some of it away over a slightly higher heat.

Yum yum yum.

I've just discovered that when this recipe was first published, so many people in Manchester made it that the whole city was sold out of fresh coriander for weeks.

Brewnog, that sounds yummy...Astro, I have made a cold salmon dish with the cucumber dill sauce in the hot summer...it's very good!

My husband does a lot of the cooking at home, one of the reasons I definitely married him! But when it comes to any sort of mexican dish or lasagna, I can satisfy the hungriest tummy. When I get more time, I will post a recipe or two that always goes over well.

Staff: Mentor

What kind of oil do you use in the stir-fry? And do you use a wok or pan/skillet?

Kerrie said:

I have made a cold salmon dish with the cucumber dill sauce

I imagine you used salmon fillet, as opposed to out of the can :yuck: I am looking forward to trying the cucumber dill sauce.

Ballon did asparagus au gratin with a manchego cheese sauce. :tongue2: It was easy, however the second time I made it, I forgot to monitor the butter (hazard of cooking with ADD ) and I boiled the butter :grumpy: Had to throw it out and start over.

I like to cook, which is good thing because my wife doesn't, and it is probably one of the reasons my wife married me. I used to help my mom and her mom when they were cooking, and that's probably where I get my interest in cooking.

That cucumber and dill sauce sounds wonderful! I bet it will go well with other foods besides salmon too. Cucumber and dill over grilled salmon sounds like a very nice combination for a summer meal.

Edit: I just jotted down that recipe and ingredients to stop at the grocery store on my way home. I have chicken for dinner tonight, but I think I'll give the sauce a try over that (anything to give chicken breasts some variety). Yes, I love cooking, and I really like simple recipes that taste great and can vary my every day cooking, not just the meals I prepare when I have a whole day to cook a complicated recipe. I also like to take recipes and modify them into new dishes, like this one, substituting the more readily available chicken for salmon.

I made gumbo this week, but I didn't actually follow a recipe, so I'll try this the best I can (it's supposed to have celery in it, but I didn't have any and it tasted fine without).

Sautee cut okra (I just used a package of frozen) in olive oil until it stops being "stringy."

Meanwhile, prepare a roux (approximately equal parts oil...I used olive oil because that's what I had, but any vegetable oil will work...and flour), and cook until medium to dark brown, depending on taste (I don't like it too dark, but some like it to look nearly burnt). When the roux is brown, add a cut onion and a cut pepper (I had an orange pepper; I prefer the sweeter peppers rather than green pepper) and a lot of minced garlic (5 or 6 cloves I think I added). Sautee until the onions turn clear. Then add two cans of chicken broth (I'll have to check the size on those cans...the standard small chicken broth cans, not the monster ones), and canned, diced tomato (I used half of what I think was a 32 oz can, I didn't have a smaller can). Of course you could use homemade broth/stock or fresh tomato, I was just using what I had in the house. Season with salt, black pepper, a little oregano, a couple bay leaves, and some red pepper. Add the sauteed okra, and while the mixture starts to come to a boil, cook andouille sausage (cut into approx 1/2" slices)...I just use the same pan the okra came out of, otherwise you could be cooking the sausage at the same time as everything else and save some time at the end. When the sausage is browned, add it to the pot with everything else. Add hot sauce to taste!

Depending on how hungry you are, you can let it simmer for an hour or so to better develop the flavor, or eat it soon after all the ingredients are added and brought to a boil (just make sure the sausage is cooked through). Serve over rice.

If you have time and want to do so, instead of using chicken broth, you can include chicken in the recipe...start out by boiling whole chicken breasts, with the bone, and make a stock from that, then remove the cooked chicken from the bone and include the meat in the gumbo...it's really tasty that way, but adds a lot of cooking time to make a good chicken stock, so I just use broth from cans.

I like to cook, which is good thing because my wife doesn't, and it is probably one of the reasons my wife married me.

That's too funny. If I didn't cook we'd starve! When my wife boils water for oatmeal she claims she is "cooking" water, that's how bad it is here. Just kididng, I love to cook and she loves to eat . . . what could be better?

Below is my favorite soup, tweaked over years of experimenting. I make soup several times a week, and the number one, biggest secret I have is getting the broth right over and above every other consideration. My number two secret is to use a pressure cooker, not for speed of cooking, but because it traps so much more flavor into the broth than regular pans. Here a link to the pressure cooker I use. It should appeal to all the physics types, it works incredibly well. I often use the smaller pressure fry pan size to make two servings.

Optional: small pasta shells. Because pasta does not hold up well in standing soup (as in leftovers), cook pasta separately. Use approximately 1/8 cup per serving, cook in some of the soup broth or a little salted water, and then add to individual soup servings.

Sooo...the grocery store didn't have any fresh dill. I resorted to the dried stuff (and took a guess at how much dried dill might equal a "bunch" of fresh). But, the sauce was still very tasty over chicken! It'll definitely be a regular on my summer menu! Thanks Astronuc!

Staff: Mentor

Cornish Pasty (serves 4) - so if you cook for one, freeze or refrigerate the others, or have a dinner party. I prefer to have dinner parties whenever possible.

3/4 to 1 lb of sirloin steak
1.5 large or 2 small white potatos
1 white onion or diced onion

optional ingredients
1 turnip
1 large or 2 small carrots
1 handful of peas (I would guess a cup)

parsley
salt & pepper.

pie pastry (not to thick)
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Since the ingredients will cook inside the pasty, you don't brown the meat or onion.

Cut (small cubes) the steak. Put in bowl and moisten with water or a little oil.
Salt and pepper (season according to preference)

Dice potatoes, onions, turnips (and optionally carrots) and blend together in separate bowl.
Salt and pepper (according to preference - but not too much if the meat is seasoned).

Now there are two options - to mix meat and veggies or not to mix the meat and veggies.

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Lay out the pie pastry in the form of a circle or slight oval. It should be about 3x the width of the ingredients or about 10-12 inches in diameter. Make sure the pastry is not too thick, not too thin.

Place the meat and veggies (mixed or not mixed) in the center. My mother put the meat on the pastry and then put the veggies over the meat (not mixed option). Sprinkle parsley sparringly.

Fold the pie pastry up to the center and crimp. Don't make it tight, since steam pressure will build up. Prick the top with a fork in a few places to let out the steam. Moisten the top surface so the pie pastry doesn't get dry.

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Now place the pasties on a greased (or Pam'd) cookie sheet and place in the middle of a pre-heated oven.

Cook for at 375°F until brown, or a 350°F, which will take longer. At high temperature about 40-45 minutes, and at the lower temp 1 to 1.5 hr. It's down when brown and the bottom is crisp.

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Now my mother always did pasties with meat, potatoes, onions and turnips. My grandmother would add carrots, but never peas, and some other families would add peas. It's a matter of taste - whatever you like. I personally like a combination of carrot and parsnip with a little melted butter in the mix.

Yummy, even more good recipes! I've wanted a good recipe for pasties ever since the first time I tried them! Though, at this rate, I won't be fit to be seen in a bathing suit when I go to Disney with ZZ and Evo!

50 g fresh Beer Yeast or 25 g of dry yeast (Fleishmans for example)
1 tbsp of sugar (corn sugar is better, it activates the yeast faster)
625 ml (2 1/2 cup) of water at body temperature, not too hot it will kill the yeast, not to cold the yeast will be slow to activate
4 cup of "OO" or all-purpose flour (My modification, 3 cup of whole wheat and 1 cup of all purpose)
2 cup of wheatlets
1 tsp of salt

In bowl, dissolve the yeast with the water and sugar.
Meanwhile, mix the flour, wheatlets and the salt. Add the yeast to the dry ingredient, knead to mixture untill it becomes elastic (5 to 8 minutes). Split the mixture into and put into 2 different bowl.
Cover with a clean dish towel and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or untill it double in size. Deflate the mixture, knead againt for about 5 minutes. Let rise for another 45 minutes. Deflate and knead for 2-3 minutes. At this point the mixture can be frozen or put in the fridge.

Bake at 200C for about 20 to 25 minutes. the best combination seems to be a strong tasting italiens cheese (Parmesan), a soft italien cheeze (Mozarella) and goat cheese. the goat cheese should be added 10 to 15 minutes after the baking starts. I usually add roasted pepper, roasted garlic, mushroom and caramelized oignon. The sauce is just diced tomatoes with their juice.